Africa Archives - Page 3 of 8

What’s the oldest item in your wardrobe? We asked 6 fashion enthusiasts

Our wardrobes are filled with memories and meaning. There are clothes that you bought with your first pay check, those that were handed down from family or the ones that you bought on a special trip. We asked six people...

October 28, 2024

Ngande Textiles uses African batik to shed new light on ancient practices

Features

Ngande Textiles uses African batik to shed new light on ancient practices

In less than a month of operation, Ngande Textiles accumulated hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram, sharing the process behind the creation of one-of-a-kind African batik textiles. Founded in June this year by US-based Cameroonian designer, textile maker, educator,...

October 21, 2024

Threads of Africa: A Tapestry of Tradition and Modernity

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Threads of Africa: A Tapestry of Tradition and Modernity

African fashion is an expression and celebration of the continent’s identities, cultures and creativity. At the recent Africa Textile Talks in Cape Town, Merchants on Long, one of the event sponsors, collaborated with Twyg to create a fashion installation to...

October 15, 2024

Decolonising fashion: Lesiba Mabitsela’s journey to Afro-sustainability

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Decolonising fashion: Lesiba Mabitsela’s journey to Afro-sustainability

Lesiba Mabitsela is a South African designer, thinker, gentle agitator and researcher whose output is characterised by a deep respect for the world and those who inhabit it. He is also the co-founder of African Fashion Research Institute (AFRI) and...

October 8, 2024

Cape Town hosts slow African fashion at 3rd edition of Confections x Collections

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Cape Town hosts slow African fashion at 3rd edition of Confections x Collections

The third annual Confections x Collections fashion event presented by Mount Nelson, a Belmond hotel and curated by Twyg, will once again provide a unique platform for diverse, authentic African perspectives and sartorial storytelling. Taking place from 5 – 9...

October 2, 2024

Katush Nairobi presents its SS25 collection: Black Bird A Kanga | Obsidian Dawn

Fashion

Katush Nairobi presents its SS25 collection: Black Bird A Kanga | Obsidian Dawn

Katush, a fashion brand based in Nairobi, Kenya presents its SS25 collection, a tribute to creative director Katungulu Mwendwa’s hometown where her love for craftsmanship was first sparked in her grandmother’s workshop. This collection weaves together memories of long weekends...

September 30, 2024

Q&A: SOKO Kenya uses fashion as force for good

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Q&A: SOKO Kenya uses fashion as force for good

SOKO Kenya is much more than just a clothing factory. Situated in Kikambala, Kilifi in Kenya, SOKO offers cut, make and trim services in an eco-factory built from compressed earth. Producing high-quality clothing while providing living wage jobs, supporting people...

September 27, 2024

Shein is officially the biggest polluter in fast fashion. AI is making things worse

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Shein is officially the biggest polluter in fast fashion. AI is making things worse

In 2023, the fast fashion giant Shein was everywhere. Crisscrossing the globe, airplanes ferried small packages of its ultra-cheap clothing from thousands of suppliers to tens of millions of customer mailboxes in 150 countries. Influencers’ “#sheinhaul” videos advertised the company’s trendy styles...

September 16, 2024

Mbali Baduza is bridging communities and generations for a just transition

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Mbali Baduza is bridging communities and generations for a just transition

Having conversations that enlarge understanding and establish common ground is one way a climate activist uses to push for greater collective action.

September 9, 2024

Africa Textile Talks 2024: Exploring sustainability, innovation and stories in textiles

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Africa Textile Talks 2024: Exploring sustainability, innovation and stories in textiles

September 2, 2024

Features

Back to earth with African mudcloth

Woven into African fashion is cleansing; confronting the stains of colonisation, erasure, and oppression. It’s a messy process and perhaps fitting that this is a story that can be revealed through mudcloth.

August 20, 2024

Kaross embroiderers mend economic divides in rural Limpopo

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Kaross embroiderers mend economic divides in rural Limpopo

In 1989, five women sat around a kitchen table embroidering cloth on a rural Limpopo citrus farm. Over three decades later, impact-driven business Kaross employs 1,000 embroiderers who work from home and create uniquely South African embroidered products while mending...

August 5, 2024

Dathonga Designs preserves weaving traditions in rural Mozambique

Fashion

Dathonga Designs preserves weaving traditions in rural Mozambique

Founded by Marcia Nangy O’Connell in 2003, Dathonga Designs blends modern design with traditional Mozambican crafts. Honouring the past, this Mozambican brand is committed to preserving indigenous knowledge and skills while designing for contemporary living. We caught up with Marcia...

August 2, 2024

Q&A: Sisi Nxumalo shares culture and community with her sustainable SoulShooz

Fashion

Q&A: Sisi Nxumalo shares culture and community with her sustainable SoulShooz

Sisi Nxumalo left a stable job in digital media to become an entrepreneur in 2016. After a few years in business, she was on a quest to find stylish and comfortable traditional footwear for her non-Zulu husband. This led to...

July 5, 2024